How Can I Clear My Criminal Record in California?

Posted By The Law Offices of Jarrod M. Wilfert || 20-Sep-2017

A conviction on your record can make you feel embarrassed and frustrated.
It can jeopardize your career and future job opportunities and not allow
you to take advantage of what life has to offer, such as buying a car
or applying for a mortgage.

Fortunately, if you live in California, you may qualify to
expunge your criminal record. This means that past convictions will no longer
show up on your record.

Eligibility for California Expungement

If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony offense and have
successfully completed probation, and are not currently charged with another
crime or on probation for another crime, you are entitled to expunge your
criminal records in California. You must have successfully completed your
probation in its entirety or obtained an early termination of probation.

However, if you were sent to a state prison upon conviction of a crime,
you cannot expunge your conviction. Additionally, you cannot obtain expungement
if you have been convicted of serious sex offenses committed against children,
such as lewd acts with a child, sodomy with a child, oral copulation with
a child, and sexual intercourse between persons who are 21 years and older
and persons younger than 16.

Where Can I Apply for Expungement?

If you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you may petition the court
to expunge your criminal record. In many cases, a
criminal defense attorney can expedite the expungement process by “packaging”
several motions into one, such as reducing a felony to a misdemeanor in
addition to expunging your record at the same time. Most petitions can
be filed and heard within one to two months.

If you wish to get your criminal conviction expunged in Ventura County,
contact The Law Offices of Jarrod M. Wilfert and request a
free consultation today.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.